


Erased

by Quinny_Imp



Series: A Wolf and Three Crows [4]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-10-05 10:45:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17323550
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quinny_Imp/pseuds/Quinny_Imp
Summary: The Dalish Inquisitor's bitterness and rage at, what he believes, is to happen to the memory of Thedas elven saviours.Warning: A few F-bombs dropped. He's really angry.





	Erased

**Author's Note:**

> The story takes place after the Inquisition was dissolved, and after Ivvie found his cousin, Zevran. Eeyo is a young Crow under Zevran's tutelage.

Ivvie gently touched Eeyo’s arm, and made him move it slightly higher. His young student followed the direction, then waited for a moment to make sure no more adjustments were going to be made. Eventually, he let go of the arrow, which hit the target.

“Good,” Ivvie complimented him.

“It’s still not in the middle,” Eeyo said.

“An arrow doesn’t need to hit the forehead to kill your target,” the older elf noted. “As long as it’s in the head, you’re good.”

The other one only grunted in reply. Then took another arrow from his quiver to repeat the shot.

Ivvie returned to the log he’d been sitting on, and observed Eeyo practising. He liked these early mornings, when the young Crow honed his archery techniques. Now, with one hand only, he could never raise a bow again, but could share his theoretical knowledge and skill with his new student. It made him feel better, and have some kind of purpose again. Eeyo was eager to learn, so it was a true pleasure to work with him.

His eyes went to the young elf’s _vallaslin_.

“You were born in Redcliff, is that correct?” he asked.

“Uhm,” Eeyo confirmed.

“And raised as a city elf.”

“Uhm.” Another arrow met its target, but Eeyo was still not fully satisfied. Ivvie found it slightly amusing that the young Crow put his improvement bar this high.

“May I ask something personal, then?”

“Sure.”

“Come,” Ivvie patted the place on the log next to him. “Your arms need a bit of rest anyway.”

Eeyo put his bow and quiver away, then went to sit down next to the former Inquisitor.

“What’s the personal question?”

The direct approach would probably be the best. “Do you consider yourself Dalish or city elf?”

The Crow smiled slightly. “Dalish.”

“Why?”

Eeyo sighed before answering. “Let’s say living among humans was disappointing, which I understood best after leaving them.”

“What does that mean?”

“My dad was a great carpenter. His work was meticulous, sturdy, and beautiful. But he was still an elf, so for humans his work was sub-par and probably made of stolen materials.” The elf frowned. “When I was very young, I didn’t understand that it was not right. Then I noticed things were not fair, but not really the full extent how unfair. Until the slavers came and the humans turned the blind eye to what was happening in our secluded part of village. Because, y’know, it had to be secluded. They wouldn’t allow us to live nearer to them.” Bitterness crept into his voice. “We managed to escape, my dad and I. He wanted us to reach my mum’s clan. He wasn’t sure they’d accept him, but he hoped they’d take me, and keep me safe.

“And then he died.” Eeyo’s eyes shone with tears. “But not before he’d asked Nadami to deliver me to the clan. A human. But a human who didn’t treat us in any weird way. Like something less. I hated that she left me with the Dalish. I wanted to stay with her.”

He silenced for a long moment, so eventually Ivvie asked, “Did you hate it there?”

“No,” he shook his head. “I was angry, but they gave me a warm welcome. Told me about my relatives, and asked about my mum. I met my aunt. And grandfather.” He paused. “At first I was a bit surprised that they looked down on other elves, on city elves. But I think it was the lack of understanding of their choice: why abandon your own culture for people who refuse to share theirs with you unless it’s on their terms?” He rubbed his face. “I’m not sure I’m making any sense.”

Ivvie smiled. “Not yet.”

Eeyo chuckled. “To be honest, I never gave much thought to the Maker. Dad and I weren’t exactly welcome in the chantry the same way humans were. But when I was told stories of our gods… they were ours. Something resonated, something personal. They made so much sense.” His eyes shone with fascination and excitement. “I felt like it was the first time someone told me something of value about myself.” He shrugged. “It probably sounds stupid to you,” he stole a glance at Ivvie’s face to check his reaction. “I know there is no more proof for their existence than the Maker’s, but to me they are… closer. More real. More… mine, if you get my meaning.”

“I met two of them,” Ivvie revealed.

Eeyo started at him for a moment, then frowned. “What do you mean? Met how?”

“I met Mythal. Talked to her. To her essence. I also met Fen’Harel. His version of the legend is slightly different, but the basics essentially the same.”

“So… so…” Eeyo mumbled, trying to absorb the news. Ivvie briefly explained to him what had happened during his Inquisition time. As he talked, the Crow’s eyes travelled between his missing arm, and his _vallaslin_. Coincidentally, Eeyo’s was the same, just less elaborate version. “The whole Inquisitor thing, the hand thing… elven magic.”

“Abused by a human full of hubris,” Ivvie nodded.

The young elf stared ahead of him for a long moment, lost in thoughts.

“Do you think they will finally start treating us better?” he asked suddenly. “Now that the Hero of Ferelden and the Inquisitor were both Dalish, both elves?”

“No,” Ivvie replied immediately with force that surprised the Crow.

“How can you be so sure?”

“How many statues of Hero of Ferelden have you seen?”

“Quite a few. There’s even one in Redcliff.”

“I know. I’ve seen it. Does it show an elven woman?”

“No, it’s a… a… an animal. Wolf or something?”

“How about others you’ve seen. What do they depict?”

“Creatures. Shapes as symbols. An armoured warrior or female warrior.”

“Any of them show her pointy ears? Or _vallaslin_?”

Eeyo’s lips thinned before he finally replied, “No.”

“A while ago I could trace the history of the first Inquisitor. There were a few notes on him. He was rich, power-hungry, noble, lazy, and all kinds of unpleasant stuff that justified removing him from power by force.” He paused. “It’s all lies. Everything.”

“How so?”

“The first Inquisitor, his name was Ameridan, was a Dalish elf.” Eeyo’s eyes open wide when he heard that. “His had an elven lover. He was a mage. He sacrificed himself to prevent a tragedy. All that was erased!”

“Because he was ‘just an elf’.”

“And we do not do glory!” Ivvie wasn’t even aware how much outrage on Eeyo’s face reflected his own. “They will erase me just as effectively,” he continued. His voice grew bitter as he went on. “They called me the ‘Herald of Andraste’ even after I told them multiple times to stop. I don’t believe in their Maker, never did, and never will. I found that offensive, but they kept doing it. They stubbornly insisted on negating my being an elf _right_ _in my face_!” He paused, to calm himself down. “I’m not dead yet, I wasn’t finished with my task yet, and they already decided that I wasn’t an elf. They ignored that. They went against my own clearly expressed wishes. Do you have any idea what will happen after my death?”

“Convenient omitting the inconvenient truth at best, outright lies at worst,” Eeyo guessed.

“I met two elven gods in person. I never cared for humans’ faith. And yet none of that matters. I’m a messenger from their god, because they say so, and facts be damned!” He paused again. His voice grew louder and angrier. A moment later he continued quietly, “The Hero sacrificed her life to save them. Ameridan froze himself in time to eventually dissolve in the air. I lost my arm. Their gratefulness ends where our elven ears start.”

His eyes became darker with fury.

“There’s more,” Eeyo prodded him softly.

“We are called savages. Barbarians. Even by our own,” Ivvie growled.

Eeyo frowned. “People think we live in trees and eat fruit.”

The older elf looked at him. “Solas, someone who remembered, someone who knew, someone with answers to all our questions was disgusted at my Dalishness. Abelas, who was what we used to be, almost refused to talk to me, seeing me as half-animal the elves turn into.” His nose wrinkled. “We lost so much not to our fault! We hold on to what little we have left! We are chased away from every place by fucking humans! And those who could at least share their knowledge of our culture with us, insult us, instead of teaching!” He rose to his feet, not able to contain his rage now. “What do we have left, if our own see us as worthless! When instead of answering our need for knowledge they tell us we are embarrassment to them. They failed us!” he shouted, shaking his only fist. “They failed in preserving everything, so we were left with nothing, and now they tell us we’re fucking savages below their statue!” He turned to look at Eeyo, and said calmer, “I suppose you have never been in the Dales.” The young elf shook his head ‘no’. “I found ruins. They’re glorious, even now in their current state of disrepair, half fallen apart, overgrown by forests that surround them. Many places, cities still have their elven names. So much history. So beautiful. So precious.” His anger was replaced by awe. Now it turned bitter again. “The shems came, took or destroyed what they could, forced us out and made us scatter. Left the elven names unchanged only to mock us. Stole everything. Even our past. And now they call me a ‘rabbit’ and thought I was a servant on their pompous ball. Fucking clowns in masks!

“They took away my future. They took me away from my clan and family until I lost them all. They took away my right to choose. They took away my hand. And eventually they will take away even my identity!” he roared.

Once his steam found its release, he turned to look at Eeyo, ashamed by his outburst. But the other elf watched him carefully without judgement in his eyes.

“Tell me more about the ruins you found,” he asked.

Ivvie smiled, sat next to him, and began.


End file.
